Darin Ruf injury likely affects Phillies' bench bunch

8:49 PM,
Mar. 20, 2014

Darin Ruf strained his left oblique on Thursday and may miss the beginning of the season.

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Though Darin Ruf was 90 miles from Bright House Field, the ripple effects of his strained left oblique were felt throughout the clubhouse in Clearwater.

Ruf is set to visit with team doctors Friday morning to determine the severity of the injury, which he suffered during batting practice Thursday. Chase Utley missed 28 games last season with a strained right oblique, so it appears unlikely that Ruf will make the opening-day roster, something that seemed a near certainty before.

Ruf was in Kissimmee, Fla., with the Phillies' split-squad that topped the Astros, 6-3. Back in Clearwater, the ...